Overview
Can the entire course of a life be traced back to a single moment?
On a coveted two-week beach vacation, working mom Kate Baker’s nine-year-old daughter, Olivia, vanishes suddenly among the waves—a heart-dropping incident that threatens to uproot her entire reality. But in the next moment, Olivia resurfaces, joyously splashing.
What would I do if she didn’t come up? Kate wonders. How would I live without her?
In another set of circumstances that hold a different fate, Kate doesn’t have to wonder. Because in that “other” world, in the pulse-pounding seconds after Olivia goes under, she doesn’t come back up.
Told in parallel timelines, Kate begins to live two lives—one in which Olivia resurfaces and one in which she doesn’t. In the reality that follows her daughter’s death, she maneuvers through every mother’s worst nightmare, facing grief, rage, and the question of purpose in the aftermath of such profound loss. She endures, day by day, in a world without her daughter.
In her alternate timeline, while she explores a tremulous romance with her best friend, Jason, she finds herself grappling with the ex-husband who abandoned Kate and Olivia years prior. Even as Kate scrambles to hold her daughter close, Olivia pulls further away. The line between joy and loss seems to get thinner with each passing day.
Woven into a single story, both Kates discover a breathtaking fragility and resilience in their respective journeys. Bringing to light the drastic polarities dire circumstances often create, The Other Year explores truths about love, loss, and the sharp turns any life can take in the blink of an eye.
“In this world-altering women’s fiction novel, single mother Kate Baker looks away for a single moment, only to lose sight of her daughter in the ocean. As a result, her world splits into two separate realities: one where she gets to keep being a mother and the other where she doesn’t. The message is clear: Love your people. A tear-jerker with heart.”—Brenda Novak, New York Times bestselling author
Review
Kate Baker and her daughter, Olivia, have taken a two week vacation at the beach. In one scenario, Olivia disappears in the waves long enough for Kate to panic. But, she eventually resurfaces with no ill effects. In another scenario, Olivia drowns and it changes Kate’s life irrevocably.
This is a unique layout for a book. And honestly, it might need to come with a trigger warning. When my children were little, I used to avoid books where a child was killed or kidnapped. When this child died…it tore me up. But, the way the author portrays the alternative year, very uncommon and different. I do not see how this author created this story and did not cry her eyes out, and maybe she did.
Sometimes you need a tale which will make you realize what is important and this story brings that front and center.
This novel is narrated by Brittany Pressley. I loved her. Excellent job on the emotion! And believe me…this story is emotional.
Need a heartbreaking tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
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